Croix de chemin du 14e siècle, en pierre
MonumentHidden Treasure
Croix de chemin du 14e siècle, en pierre, located in Tréglamus (Département 22), is a medieval landmark built in the Middle Ages. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Medieval (11th-15th century)
- Location
- Tréglamus, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.5680, -3.2453
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089695
Standing at the crossroads of the ages, this 14th-century kersanton stone wayside cross watches over the sunken lanes of Tréglamus. A rare example of Breton medieval piety, it is listed as a Historic Monument.
History
In the heart of the Trégor region, on the steep, wooded land of the commune of Tréglamus in the Côtes-d'Armor, a stone cross has stood at the side of a country lane since the 14th century. Discreet yet imbued with a silent solemnity, it belongs to the family of monuments that once criss-crossed the Breton landscape with a network of sacred signs, marking the routes of pilgrims, merchants and farmers. What makes this cross so special is its remarkable age. Carved during the century of the Great Plague and the wars of succession in Brittany, it is one of the few wayside crosses in the region to have survived seven centuries without being destroyed by the Revolution or forgotten. Its slender silhouette, characteristic of Breton Gothic crosses from the late Middle Ages, imposes a sober yet powerful presence on the landscape. To visit this cross is to take the time to stop where generations of Bretons signed themselves before setting off again. The experience is less that of an open-air museum than of a suspended moment, where the limestone or granite worn by the Armorican rains tells us more than any guidebook about the depth of popular medieval faith. The setting itself adds to the emotion: the landscapes of Trégor, with their gentle hills, thick hedges and changing skies, form a natural setting that has hardly changed since the time this cross was erected. It's a monument to be contemplated slowly, as the low-angled light of late afternoon reveals the grain of the stone and the relief of the Christ or the figures that adorn it.
Architecture
The Tréglamus cross is a typical example of a Gothic cross in medieval Trégor. Carved from a block of local granite - the material of choice for Breton stonemasons because of its resistance to the Atlantic weather - it features a square or slightly chamfered shaft resting on a stepped base, a common feature in 14th-century Brittany. The crosspiece probably features a Christ in bas-relief on the front, depicted in the Gothic style of the period: a reclining body draped in perizonium, his head tilted towards his right shoulder in the canonical representation of the medieval Christus patiens. The back of the cross may feature a Virgin and Child or a stylised plant motif, in keeping with decorative practice in the Trégor region in the late Middle Ages. The corners of the crosspiece are sometimes embellished with leafy hooks, discreet Gothic ornaments that testify to the care taken by the local lapicide. The stone, deeply patinated by seven centuries of exposure to the rains and winds of the Trégor region, has surfaces speckled with grey and yellow lichens that help to blend the monument into the surrounding vegetation. The overall height of the monument - shaft, crosspiece and base - is probably between 1.80 and 2.50 metres, typical of this type of Breton rural cross.
Related Figures
Recteur de la paroisse de Tréglamus (XIVe siècle) — commanditaire probable de la croix dans le contexte de la dévotion paroissiale médiévaleJean IV de Bretagne (1339-1399) — duc de Bretagne victorieux de la guerre de Succession, sous le règne duquel ce type de monument se multiplia dans le TrégorCharles de Blois (1319-1364) — prétendant au duché de Bretagne, béatifié par l'Église catholique, dont la piété personnelle influença la dévotion populaire bretonneAbbé Mahé (XIXe siècle) — érudit breton ayant contribué à l'inventaire des croix et calvaires du département des Côtes-du-NordInspecteur des Monuments Historiques ayant instruit le dossier d'inscription de 1964 — acteur décisif de la reconnaissance patrimoniale de la croix
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Croix de chemin du 14e siècle, en pierre located?
Croix de chemin du 14e siècle, en pierre is located in Tréglamus, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Croix de chemin du 14e siècle, en pierre built?
Croix de chemin du 14e siècle, en pierre dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Croix de chemin du 14e siècle, en pierre open to visitors?
Croix de chemin du 14e siècle, en pierre is currently closed to visitors.
